|
|
There's another aspect of excitement in the world of thrill rides. There's the excitement of the latest announcements of upcoming rides from an industry as secretive as the military at times, and the excitement of all the latest happenings at parks around the world. Sometimes the news is good, sometimes the news is bad, but our aim is to bring you the fairest, timeliest, most accurate details on everything that concerns you. COASTER-net's team of journalists is hard at work around the clock to bring you the in-depth scoop!
|
 | |  |
State orders 'Batman' closed for investigation
Motive of late teenager and cousin remain unknown
|
|
|
|
© Devin Olson
Site of Tragedy: Asia Ferguson and his cousin left a church field trip group to cross underneath 'Batman: the Ride' when he was struck in the head and killed between 2 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. |
Two days after a Six Flags over Georgia guest put himself in the path of an oncoming roller coaster train, the state of Georgia has ordered that the ride remain closed while police investigate.
Asia LeeShawn Ferguson IV, 17, jumped two six-foot-tall fences with his cousin, who remains anonymous, for a reason that still remains unclear. However, it's clear that he was struck in the head and decapitated as the inverted coaster's hanging train traveled close to 50 m.p.h. around its track.
One rumor circulated by guests over the weekend was that the two were attempting to retrieve a hat lost during the ride. However, police say that story is false.
Another story that surfaced soon after the death indicated that Asia and his cousin were playing underneath the ride, attempting to grab hold of passengers' legs as the train passed over. That story nearly stopped surfacing over the weekend, aside from internet discussion boards.
The most likely motive at this point was that the boys, who had apparently exited the park briefly for lunch, were attempting to avoid a walk around the park to reach the front gate and instead cut across the grass between the back parking lot and coaster, choosing danger over inconvenience.
There's no word yet on whether or not authorities have interviewed Ferguson's cousin on their motives.
An autopsy performed Monday confirmed that the death was an accident; however, analysis on toxicology tests will take several weeks.
Six Flags officials had originally planned on leaving the ride closed for the weekend out of respect to the Ferguson family and reopening it Monday. Now that the state has intervened, Batman is expected to reopen by the end of the week.
|
|
UPDATED: Boy struck and killed at Six Flags over Georgia
Incident occurs in restricted area beneath 'Batman: the Ride'
|
|
|
|
© Devin Olson
Second 'Batman' Tragedy: This is the second death to occur in the off-limits zone underneath 'Batman.' The first was that of an employee on May 26, 2002. |
Saturday afternoon ended fatally at Six Flags over Georgia for a teenager who apparently trespassed into a restricted zone beneath Batman: the Ride, the park's popular 50-mph inverted coaster.
The 17-year-old victim, Asia Leeshawn Ferguson of Springfield, South Carolina, was on a church-sponsored field trip when he strayed away from the group with a friend, crossing over two six-foot-tall perimeter fences -- according to the park -- and underneath the track itself.
It wasn't long before one of Batman's trains flew past underneath the track at a speed close to its maximum and Ferguson was struck in the head and decapitated around 2:30 p.m. The park says that none of the riders were injured on the 28-seat train.
"Some witnesses have stated that the individual was trying to retrieve something he had lost," an official statement released this evening by park spokeswoman Hela Sheth said. "Others reported that he was trying to touch the ride. This is merely speculation at this point, and we are working with park visitors and local police to learn more."
Other more recent witness reports have stated that Ferguson and his friend were attempting to take a shortcut out of the park instead of traveling through the normal exit. Batman is located at the back of the theme park adjacent to one of the main parking lots.
A similar death occurred beneath the same Six Flags over Georgia coaster in 2002 when an employee in a restricted area during the ride's operation was struck by a 14-year-old girl's leg and killed.
The last death at Six Flags over Georgia was a 45-year-old man's 2006 heart attack on the newest major coaster, Goliath.
Batman: the Ride debuted directly following the park's successful season during the 1996 Olympic games. It's one of a dozen coasters exactly like it operating around the world, six of those branded Batman coasters by the Six Flags chain. The coasters feature high-intensity layouts of five inversions pulling up to 4 g's.
Saturday's tragedy left the ride closed for the day out of respect for Ferguson's family. It is expected to reopen some time Sunday.
|
|
Morey's Pier rides damaged by fire
Multi-alarm blaze damages two rides
|
|
|
Morey's Pier, Wildwood, NJ, USA 06/16/08 - By: Mike Strobel -
|
|
© Josh Davidson
Under Fire: The 'Seal Flume' and 'Super Scooters' were the only rides damaged during Monday's fire. |
At approximately 1:20 am on June 16th, a multi-alarm fire was in progress at the popular Morey's Pier amusement park along the New Jersey coast.
Police were on hand to assist in crowd control as eleven fire departments battled the blaze. This comes just two weeks after a fire destroyed several blocks of Universal Studios Hollywood in California.
Though the fire was large, it took firefighters only moments to control the inferno. Also fortunate for the park is the fact that only two rides suffered damage; the Seal Flume and Super Scooters, both located on the north end of the piers.
Propane tanks were said to be near the fire's vicinity, thus making the task of concluding the fire even more important. Luckily, the fire was subsided before the tanks were affected.
Both Raging Waters and Ocean Oasis water parks as well as the piers themselves are still open while investigators see to the cause of the fire.
|
|
Universal Studios Hollywood open after weekend fire
Roof worker's blowtorch suspected in devastating blaze
|
|
|
Universal City, CA, USA 06/05/08 - By: John Cooke -
|
|
© Graham Whitby Boot Graham Whitby Boot
Fire!: Guests leave, enter, and stand in confusion outside the gates of Universal Studios Hollywood as the fire burns in the background. |
Universal Studios Hollywood is open after a weekend fire that ripped through the backlot of the studio. All shows, attractions, and rides are open and operating as usual, except the King Kong attraction which was damaged in the blaze and will be replaced by another ride.
Universal Studio's parent company, NBC Universal, will rebuild or replace everything that was damaged. The damage covers 3.5 acres according to officials, but the park's officials say that it came close to five acres. The New York Streets set, which is used for major blockbuster hits like "Transformers" and "Spider-Man," was destroyed and will be rebuilt.
Other damage includes the destroyed movie vault that holds some 40,000 to 50,000 movies. The movies destroyed in the vault were all duplicates of the film negatives which are stored elsewhere. The courthouse square from the film "Back to the Future" was damaged as well.
No loss of life or injuries were sustained in the incident. However, it is estimated that over $25 million in damage was caused by the fire.
|
|
Biblical theme park planned in Germany
Some locals object to the idea
|
|
|
|
|
Plans are underway to build a theme park in Heidelberg, Germany based after the Bible. Some locals object to the idea of the creationist theme park in their area. The park will be called "Genesis Land." The Swiss firm, Genesis Land Inc., is well short of the 185 million dollars needed to construct the park, however, they plan to have it open by 2012.
The 50-hectare (123.5 acres) theme park will feature forty attractions. The centerpiece of the park will be an "original size" Noah's Ark surrounded by water. Other attractions include two roller coasters-One meant to give the impression of the great flood, while the other meant to give an idea of heaven and hell-A miniature version of Israel in Biblical times, and a Roman amphitheater.
Guests will eat at a Tower of Babel restaurant, a version of what Jerusalem was like at the time of Jesus -- which is also a shopping mall -- and an enlarged Old Testament desert tent.
The firm's website they would, "like to transmit the story and the message of the Bible in an active and exciting way, so that many people in our society may have the opportunity to experience up close the most wonderful and fantastic love story of all, the love story of our Creator and Jesus Christ."
The firm is still looking for investors to raise the rest of the 185 million dollars, and hope to have the rest of the money by the end of the year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
